Chicken BBQ Cheddar Pitas

As you can see, this recipe is very simple and basically how much or little you want. There are no measurements because it's to your taste and liking. I wouldn't say this is our favorite recipe but if you need something quick and easy, this is a good one. Maybe you could grill the chicken in barbecue sauce and then shred it and put it on the pitas! The carb count depends on the sauce and pitas you use. I use sugar free or low sugar BBQ sauce. 

By:  Anne Coleman on disneyfamily.com

Ingredients

Cooked Chicken

Barbecue Sauce

Cheddar Cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Using kitchen shears, cut pitas clear around the edge, making two pita halves.

3. Top each pita half with chicken, barbecue sauce, cheese and green onion.

4. Set pitas on a cookie sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Sour Cream and Bacon Chicken in the Slow Cooker

Sour Cream and Bacon Chicken in the Slow Cooker

Recipe by Moms with Crockpots at http://momswithcrockpots.com/2012/01/sour-cream-and-bacon-crockpot-chicken/

Ingredients

8 bacon slices

8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 (10 oz) cans roasted garlic cream of mushroom soup

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup flour (all purpose or gluten free blend)

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Place the bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-low heat until some of the fat is rendered. Be sure that the bacon is still pliable and not crisp. Drain on paper towels. If you use this method, reduce the flour to 1/4 cup. Or don't cook the bacon and proceed with the recipe. ( We didn't cook the bacon.) 

2. Then wrap one slice of bacon around each boneless chicken breast and place in a 4-5 quart crockpot.

3. In medium bowl, combine condensed soups, sour cream, and flour and mix with wire whisk to blend. Pour over chicken.

4. Cover crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours until chicken and bacon are thoroughly cooked. You may want to remove the chicken and beat the sauce with a wire whisk so it is very well blended.

5. Pour sauce over chicken.

6. If you have a newer crockpot, check the chicken at 5 hours. The internal temp should be 160 -170 degrees F.

Anniversary Chicken

This is a wonderful and easy recipe! It has just enough flavor to make it a great dinner for any night! I like to eat sweet corn and maybe deviled eggs with this. A salad would also be a good side dish.

This recipe was found on AllRecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons teriyaki basting sauce
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons Ranch-style salad dressing
1/3 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 green onions, chopped
1/8 (3 ounce) can bacon bits
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts, and saute 4 to 5 minutes each side, until lightly browned. (I usually skip this step and it still comes out fine.) 

3. Place browned chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Brush with teriyaki sauce, then spoon on salad dressing. Sprinkle with cheese, green onions and bacon bits.

4. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Nutrition Information
Servings Per Recipe: 2

Calories: 529, Total Fat: 26.4g, Cholesterol: 167mg, Sodium: 894mg, Total Carbs: 6.7g, Dietary Fiber: 0.3g, Protein: 62.8g

September 18, 2012 - Creamy apple and bacon Chicken

This one also turned out excellent! It was a little hard to taste the apple, so maybe I will add more apple, or some type of apple flavoring. We had a good friend join us for dinner. We had some veggies and fruit to go along with it. We always add something like that to make the meal more filling without adding too many carbs or sugar. 

Ingredients:

·         1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, either whole or cut into pieces (see below)

·         1 small apple, cut into ¼ inch slices

·         ¼ cup apple juice (see below for alternatives)

·         ¼ cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)

·         1/3 cup heavy cream

·         2 Tablespoons oil plus one more of oil, butter, or bacon grease

·         1 teaspoon dried thyme -- or use tarragon or a mix of "French-type" herbs, or fresh if you have it -- 2-3 teaspoons

·         2 strips bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

·         salt and pepper

Preparation:

The chicken breasts can be either left whole, cut in half, or cut into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides.

1) Heat 1 to 2 Tablespoons oil in pan.  Lightly brown apple slices in pan. You don't want them to be too soft, just to the point where you can start to easily put a fork in them. Remove apples.

2) Add another Tablespoon of oil, and brown chicken on both sides. The chicken probably won't be cooked through at this point, which is OK. Push chicken to one side or to the edges. Add the Chicken Broth, which should deglaze the pan. Add the rest of the liquids and herbs and simmer until reduced and chicken is cooked through.

3) Serve with bacon bits sprinkled over the top.

Makes three servings (or four less-hearty servings).

Nutritional Information with apple juice: Each of 3 servings has 8 grams of carbs, plus 1 gram fiber, 37 grams protein, and 403 calories

 HAPPY EATING!!!

September 15, 2012 - Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff

This was a pretty good recipe! We didn't put enough chicken in so it tasted a lot like cream cheese. Next time, we will put more chicken in. I didn't like it as much as the others, but Spencer says he will eat it! Crock pots recipes are always good to on-the-run people. We had some kiwi and apple slices along side it. Spencer ate it in flour tortillas while I ate mine atop toasted low carb Sara Lee bread. ( I swear by that bread. I eat it all the time! And it only has 45 calories and 7 carbs per slice!) And this recipe only has 2 steps! Now that's easy!

Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff 

INGREDIENTS:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
1/8 cup margarine
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

DIRECTIONS:
1. Put chicken, margarine and dressing mix in slow cooker; mix together and cook on low
for 5 to 6 hours.
2. Add cream cheese and soup, mix together and cook on high for another 1/2 hour or
until heated through and w arm.

Nutrition Information
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Calories: 456  Total Fat: 31g  Cholesterol: 136mg  Sodium: 1603mg  Total Carbs: 9.5g
Dietary Fiber: 0g  Protein: 33.4g

HAPPY EATING!!!

September 9, 2012 - Easy Cheesy Chili Chicken

Tonight's dinner was excellent! The chicken was so full of flavor, it was like a party in the mouth! A spicy party for that matter! This is definitely a meal for flavor seekers. We had some carrots and strawberries to go along with the chicken. This is a must-try!! 

This is from Linda's Low Carb Menus and Recipes. 

GEORGE STELLA'S EASY CHEESY CHILI CHICKEN 
2 tablespoons olive oil 
2 tablespoons cilantro 
1 tablespoon chili powder 
1 tablespoon cumin 
2 teaspoons salt 
1 clove garlic, chopped 
1/2 teaspoon pepper 
1/8 teaspoon cayenne 
4-5 boneless chicken breasts 
1/4 cup green pepper, julienned 
2 tablespoons red onion, diced 
1/4 cup Roma tomato, diced (about 1/2 small) 
4 ounces colby-jack cheese, shredded

Stir together the first 8 ingredients in a medium bowl. It will be a thick paste. Add the chicken and rub the seasoning mixture all over the meat until coated evenly. Place the chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet. Arrange the vegetables over the chicken. Bake at 400º 20 minutes or until the chicken is just done. Do not overcook. Top with the cheese and return to oven until melted, about 5 minutes.

Makes 4-5 servings 
Do not freeze

Per 1/4 Recipe: 321 Calories; 18g Fat; 35g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 

HAPPY EATING!!!

September 6, 2012 - Chicken Divan

Tonight's dinner went pretty well! We had fun making it together. You have to make sure you boil the chicken before starting anything else. It tasted pretty good! I think we would make this one again! We have not been able to find the Xanthan Gum. We have heard that  I have no idea what this gum is, all I know is that it thickens stuff. Well, we can't find it anywhere so we just through in a small amount of flour to help thicken the sauce.  It will add a few more carbs but nothing big enough to worry about. Cornstarch is a good substitute but we didn't have any.

CHICKEN DIVAN - REVISED 
4 cups diced cooked chicken 
14-16 ounces frozen broccoli florets 
8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded 
2 tablespoons butter 
1 stalk celery, diced 
1 small onion, diced 
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced 
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum 
1 cup chicken broth 
1 cup heavy cream 
1/8 teaspoon curry powder 
Salt and pepper, to taste 
1/4 cup mayonnaise 
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, optional

Cook the broccoli according to package directions for 5 minutes; drain. Meanwhile, in a large non-stick skillet, sauté the celery, onion and mushrooms in the butter until tender. Sprinkle the xanthan gum over the surface and quickly stir in. Add the broth and cream; bring to a boil. Turn the heat to medium-high and simmer until the sauce has thickened, stirring frequently. Stir in the mayonnaise until well blended. Stir in the curry powder and season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a greased 9x13" glass baking dish, mix the chicken, broccoli and cheese. Pour in the mushroom sauce and mix well. Adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the top, if using. Bake, uncovered, at 350º for 35-40 minutes until bubbly and a little browned on top.

Makes 8 servings 
Can be frozen

Per Serving: 478 Calories; 36g Fat; 33g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 

HAPPY EATING!!!

Ps. So, for desert, I made Spencer Cupcakes with the inspiration ( from pinterest) to make them into Despicable Me cupcakes. This first one doesn't look to bad. 

This one, I think, had a fight with his make-up artist because he seems to be having some issues with running black down his face..... not sure what happened there. Maybe he's crying because he was made second... who knows... 

September 2, 2012 - Chicken Pot Pie with Yogurt-Biscuit Topping

Tonight's installment was a nice, lazy-man's Sunday dinner. It does not take much to put it together and it comes out tasting really good! It is a little higher in carbs than our past recipes but it still works. We doubled the recipe since it only yields 1 serving but the servings are very generous. I would add some more seasoning to boost the flavor. We use steak seasoning and it's great! 

This is from our good friend, Lacy! Thanks Lacy! 

Chicken Pot Pie with Yogurt-Biscuit Topping. 

Note: This only makes 1 serving. 

1/2 cup chicken gravy, fat-free

1 cup mixed vegetables, frozen

3 oz. chicken breast, skinless and boneless, stripped or cubed

1/2 teaspoon of Thyme

Pepper to Taste

1/2 cup low fat Bisquick

1/4 cup fat-free plain yogurt

3 tablespoons fat-free milk

1 teaspoon of butter or margarine

1. Heat gravy in small sauce pan

2. Add chicken, frozen veggies, thyme, and pepper. Heat thoroughly. 

3. Pour into a small casserole or baking dish

4. Mix Bisquick, yogurt, milk and butter in a small bowl until well blended. 

5. Spoon onto the pot pie mixture and bake at 375 for about 15 minutes or until slightly brown on top. ( It took us almost 25 minutes to brown so just keep an eye on it.) 

Per serving:

Calories: 341, Total fat: 9 g, Saturated fat: 2 g, Cholesterol: 47 mg, Sodium: 488 mg, Total Carbs: 38 g, Dietary Fiber: 0.3 g, Protein: 26 g, Calcium: 13.3 mg 

HAPPY EATING!!!

August 30, 2012 - Crockpot Fajitas

Tonight was another great and super easy dinner, (are you sensing a theme here?) We LOVE super easy dinners. We had some visitors this time, which you have to understand is difficult for me in one sense. When I cook for someone, I always make something that I have done a 100 times so that I know it will be liked and make the night a success. So, to make something new and serve it without knowing how it is going to taste it a big step for me! Thankfully, it turned out awesome! Crockpot dinners are genius because you throw all the food in and it cooks it for you. Sweet. I guess it would be considered the "lazy man's" way of cooking, but hey, it works, and works great! 

This recipe was given to me by my good friend, Lacy! Thanks Lacy!!

Crockpot Fajitas

Ingredients

4 ounces of chicken tenders - per person 

sliced green, red, and yellow peppers - about one pepper per 2 people. 

1/4 cup of chopped onion

1 package of fajita or taco seasoning

1/4 cup of water

Directions:

1. Spray crockpot with nonstick spray

2. Add chicken and veggies

3. Mix water and seasoning and drizzle over chicken and veggies

4. Cook on low heat for 4 - 5 hours. 

(See, easy right?)

You can serve them on tortillas ( for the non low carb-ers) or on lettuce like last night's dinner. It's good either way. Our friends loved it, so it is a keeper! 

Carbs: 34 ( with tortilla) without tortilla - 9 carbs about. (Sorry,  I don't have exact counts on this on. ) 

It doesn't look appetizing in the picture but I promise it is good! 

HAPPY EATING!!!

August 28, 2012 - Mexi Bake Chicken

As you can tell, we are going for the Spanish theme this week. We have another one coming in a few days because we are just cool like that. Tonight's dinner is super easy and super good. Though, we ate a little later than expected.... we turned the oven on and put the chicken in... Somehow the oven got turned off so our chicken had a little... salsa soak spa before it was ready for cooking. So, after another hour we were finally able to eat, this time cooked chicken. 

Side dishes: Salad, grapes, and half an apple

This was given to us by our good friend, Ashley. Thanks dear cousin! 

Ingredients

2 (4 ounce) boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 teaspoons taco seasoning ( I prefer homemade with no sugar added)

1/2 cup salsa, any degree ( I prefer Newman's Own; it's low in sugar)

1/2 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese ( I prefer the Mexi-blend)

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.Spray a shallow, small baking dish with non-stick spray.

3.Coat chicken lightly with taco seasoning, on both sides; spoon salsa over top of breast.

4.Bake, uncovered, about 45 minutes.

5.Sprinkle cheese on both breasts evenly; bake for another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted through.

Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving: Calories 197.3 Total Fat 5.0g Saturated Fat 1.8g Cholesterol 78.5mg Sugars 2.2g Sodium 764.2mg Total Carbohydrate 5.0g

We were so excited to eat (at 8 pm) that we forgot to get a picture of our plates so here is a picture of the last chicken. 

HAPPY EATING!!!

August 23, 2012 - Spicy Chicken And Spinach Casserole

Tonight, We both agree that this dish has been our favorite so far! It is really, REALLY, good. You have to give it a try. I, myself, have a huge aversion to spicy foods but this one is awesome! You hardly taste the jalapeños and flavor is great! I unfortunately suffered another cut from the stupid knife. I'm going to let Spencer take care of those things for awhile. Stupid onion.... Anyhoo, here is the recipe! Please give it a try! 

This also comes from Linda's Low carb Menus and Recipes. (Seriously, she is awesome!)

SPICY CHICKEN & SPINACH CASSEROLE
3 cups cooked, diced chicken
10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup canned pickled jalapeños, roughly chopped, 1 ounce can
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sour cream
10 ounce can Ro-tel tomatoes, drained (tomatoes with green chilies)
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded

Mix the chicken and spinach in a greased 2 1/2 quart casserole. Meanwhile, sauté the onion in butter until tender; add to the chicken. Stir in all of the remaining ingredients and mix well. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bake, uncovered, at 350º 40-50 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

Makes 6-8 servings
Do not freeze

Per 1/6 recipe: 484 Calories; 36g Fat; 35g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber